Various forms of games apparatus have already been proposed having a playing surface tiltable by the players to cause a playing piece to move thereon.
British Patent Specification 322127, for example, discloses a games apparatus in which a playing surface supported entirely by the players is competitively tilted to cause a ball or a sliding object to move over the playing surface. The games apparatus is forked at opposite ends to form handles with which the players support the playing surface. The playing surface is rectangular, circular or some other shape, and is provided with apertures through which the ball may pass into pockets.
By way of further example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,617,061 details a games apparatus for competitive play by two or more participants comprising a platform having an upper playing surface. The playing surface has a central discharge opening and supports one or more mobile playing pieces such as marbles for movement over the playing surface. The platform is connected at its edge to two or more handle means which are spaced apart around the platform and are intended to be firmly grasped by players who struggle or wrestle against one another to attempt to manipulate the platform to cause or prevent the marble from falling into the opening.
The device also includes means connected to the underside of the platform below the opening to receive discharged marbles, and adapted to support the platform in a position elevated above a support surface such as a table while affording ready manipulation of the platform.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,931,972 discusses another alternative design of games apparatus. The apparatus includes an open top housing assembly with a universally tiltable open top insert assembly mounted therein. Upright guides within the housing assembly guide vertically adjustable lifters with handles which project laterally outward through slots in the end walls of the housing assembly. Said lifters supportably engage the undersurface of the insert assembly. Selective vertical manual movements of one or more lifters are adapted to variably adjust the insert assembly to any resultant angle relative to a horizontal plane throughout 360.degree. selectively. Game board indicia is provided upon the insert assembly bottom wall to receive a series of variably spaced targets or obstacles. A ball initially disposed on the indicia is movable thereover relative to the insert assembly walls in various directions depending upon the resultant tilt of the insert assembly so as to strike or not strike said targets or obstacles.
It has been noted that teenagers and young adults have large amounts of what could be described as "excess" energy. They also enjoy games and contests which involve strength, skill and agility None of the prior art provide a games apparatus for satisfactorily harnessing that excess energy in a controlled way in a games apparatus of the kind identified.
In particular, in all of the games apparatus considered above, if one player, or team attempts to direct the playing piece to move towards the opposing player orteams by applying a lifting force to their end it is very easy for the opposing playing or team to counter that maneouver simply by lifting their own end also.
The games apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,617,061 perhaps comes closest to meeting this goal, in that should a player or team attempt to tilt the playing surface to one side or the other, or to tilt the playing surface downwards at their side that movement can be opposed by the other player or team applying a force in direct opposition. Thus, the contest as to which way the playing surface will tilt becomes one of strength. However, as noted above, should a player or team wish to tilt the playing surface towards the opposing player or team that movement can be countered by applying a similar force, resulting in the playing surface remaining level but being lifted off the ground. Moreover, sudden movements produced by rapid changes in force application are likely to de-stabilise the apparatus and disrupt the game.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a games apparatus in which all movements of the playing surface caused by one player or team can be directly opposed by the opposing team or player through the application of a force in the same direction, the resultant tilting of the playing surface being determined by a contest of strength between the players or teams.